Countertop rapid cooler for rapidly cooling food, drink, and other items

ABSTRACT

A countertop rapid cooler is disclosed for rapidly cooling food, drink, and other items using at least convection cooling. the cooler includes: a thermally insulated enclosure with a door and sized to fit on a countertop; a fan; and a convective heat exchanger for cooling air blown by the fan toward an item within the enclosure. The convective heat exchanger is capable of receiving coolant from a neighboring refrigeration unit (such as a refrigerator), and returning the coolant to the neighboring unit after use. In some embodiments, expanded coolant can be delivered from the neighboring unit&#39;s expansion valve. In other embodiments, unexpanded coolant can be delivered from the neighboring unit, to be expanded by a separate expansion valve located within the countertop rapid cooler. By not including its own compressor or condenser, the countertop rapid cooler is lighter, and uses less space, than currently available rapid cooling devices.

FIELD

This invention relates to cooling devices, and more particularly torapid cooling devices.

BACKGROUND

Modern day cooling devices, such as refrigerators and ice chests areused widely by consumers and in industry. Every home, for example, has arefrigerator, generally including a freezer compartment. A refrigeratoror other cooling device may provide refrigeration in a camper, on aboat, or associated with other recreational uses. Among industrialusers, many small businesses depend on reliable cooling to maintain theviability of the business. Food caterers, ice cream trucks, coffeeshops, and other food establishments could not remain in businesswithout the ability to chill food and/or beverages and keep them cold.Other industrial users include, for example, medical, pharmaceutical,and chemical industries.

Frequently, there is a specific need, among both domestic and industrialusers of refrigeration, for rapid cooling or chilling of an item. As oneexample, rapid cooling is desirable for some foods, particularly foodpreparations containing mayonnaise. As another example, consumers oftenhave a desire to rapidly cool bottled or canned beverages. Similarly,caterers may wish to quickly meet a customer's need for a chilled foodand/or beverage item. Among medical uses, tissue samples, for example,may need to be rapidly cooled to forestall deterioration of the samples.Pharmaceutical companies and chemical supply companies sometimes havesimilar needs for rapid cooling of items.

Some currently available rapid chilling devices require storage in arefrigerator or use of refrigerator space, with the drawback ofconsuming room within the refrigerator's cooling chamber. Some otherrapid chilling devices require immersing the item to be chilled in waterand/or ice, which is unsuitable for items that cannot become wet.Although there are stand-alone rapid convection-based chilling deviceson the market today, most currently available commercial rapid chillingdevices are large, bulky and heavy.

The bulkiness, size, and heft of current commercial stand-alone rapidconvection chilling devices are typically due to inclusion of acompressor and condenser with the rapid chilling device. Even incurrently available rapid chilling devices that do not include aninternal compressor and condenser, a compressor and condenser istypically installed along with installation of the rapid cooling device,for example, with a walk-in type refrigerator or other large capacitycooler.

Because of this need for a condenser and compressor, current rapidcooling devices typically need to be of large capacity to justify theircost. Current rapid cooling devices are often not economical (on a “perchilled item” basis) unless large. Often, this is undesirable for manypotential users of such rapid cooling devices who wish to have suchdevices readily available in smaller spaces. Furthermore, therequirement for large size puts such rapid cooling devices financiallyout of reach of most home and recreational users, as well as taxing thebudgets of small businesses.

SUMMARY

A countertop rapid cooling device for rapidly cooling an item using atleast convection cooling is claimed. The cooling device includes a fanto blow chilled air toward an item to rapidly cool the item. The coolingdevice is lighter and uses less space than current rapid cooling deviceswith comparable capacity, such as rapid cooling refrigerators, since thecooling device in embodiments of the invention does not contain amechanical compressor and condenser. Instead, the cooling deviceincludes a coolant input to deliver coolant to the cooling device.

In this way, a rapid cooling device is provided that can be moreeconomical for home, recreational, small business, and even industrialusers. While a compressor is heavy, bulky, and noisy, the countertoprapid cooler is able to accomplish rapid cooling without requiring acompressor incorporated into its own structure. Instead, the countertoprapid cooler is able to borrow coolant from a neighboring refrigerationunit which itself contains a compressor. Because of the lack of a needto incorporate a compressor, the countertop rapid cooler can operate asa small, lightweight, compact, relatively noiseless and low-powerdevice, as compared with a typical refrigerator.

The coolant is received from an external store of coolant, such as aneighboring refrigerator or freezer. In some embodiments, the receivedcoolant can be drawn from an expansion valve of the neighboringrefrigerator or freezer. In some of these embodiments, the coolant flowfrom the expansion valve may be controlled by a coolant flow module orother feedback arrangement that can adjust, such as an electromechanicalflow valve for example. In some embodiments, the flow valve can be anelectrically controlled T-valve. If coolant is drawn from an expansionvalve of a neighboring unit, the hose carrying the coolant from theneighboring unit to the countertop rapid cooler can be insulated, so asto not allow heat transfer between the coolant and the ambient air.

In other embodiments, the coolant can be drawn from a neighboring unitat a point before the expansion valve of the neighboring unit. Thus, thecoolant would still be in an unexpanded state as it was transferred fromthe neighboring unit to the countertop rapid cooler. The unexpandedcoolant can then travel through a pressure hose to the countertop rapidcooler, where it is then expanded via an expansion valve. The expansionvalve would be located before the convective heat exchanger, andoptimally within the thermal enclosure.

One general aspect of the invention is a cooling device for rapidcooling of items, wherein the cooling device includes: a thermallyinsulated enclosure, the enclosure having a thermally insulated door,the enclosure being sized so as to fit on a countertop, and being sizedso as to enclose at least one item to be rapidly cooled; a fan locatedwithin the thermally insulated enclosure; a convective heat exchanger,the convective heat exchanger being capable of receiving coolant from aneighboring refrigeration unit and being capable of cooling air to beblown by the fan toward the item to be cooled; a coolant input, thecoolant input being capable of delivering the coolant to the convectiveheat exchanger from the neighboring refrigeration unit; and a coolantoutput, the coolant output being capable of returning the coolant to theneighboring refrigeration unit from the convective heat exchanger.

In some embodiments, an inside space of the thermally insulatedenclosure is of a volume that falls within a range of volumes of insidespaces of typical microwave ovens. In some embodiments the coolant inputis adapted to receive expanded coolant from an expansion valve of theneighboring refrigeration unit. In some of these embodiments, thecooling device further includes at least one flow valve coupled to thecoolant input and configured to enable and disable flow of coolant fromthe expansion valve of the neighboring refrigeration unit. In someembodiments, the coolant input is adapted to receive compressed coolantfrom a neighboring refrigeration unit, and wherein the coolant inputincludes an expansion valve for expanding the coolant, the expansionvalve being located within the thermally insulated enclosure, and priorto the convective heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the convectiveheat exchanger is a tube-and-fin system.

In some embodiments, the cooling device further includes: a sensorcapable of sensing a temperature of the item to be cooled; and a coolantflow module capable of adjusting coolant delivery to the cooling devicebased on the temperature sensed by the sensor. In some embodiments, thecooling device further includes: a control input capable of receiving avalue corresponding to at least one of a desired temperature, and adesired cooling time, for the item to be cooled; and a coolant flowmodule capable of adjusting coolant delivery to the cooling device basedon the at least one of the desired temperature, and the desired coolingtime, of the item to be cooled.

In some embodiments, the cooling device further includes: a sensorcapable of sensing a temperature of the item to be cooled; and a fancontrol module capable of adjusting air flow from the fan to the item tobe cooled based on the temperature of the item sensed by the sensor. Insome embodiments, the cooling device further includes: a control inputcapable of receiving a value corresponding to at least one of a desiredtemperature, and a desired cooling time, for the item to be cooled; anda fan control module capable of adjusting air flow from the fan to theitem to be cooled based on the at least one of the desired temperature,and the desired cooling time, of the item to be cooled.

In some embodiments: the neighboring refrigeration unit includes acompressor and a coolant line; and the coolant input is coupled to theexpansion valve via a coolant line tap downstream of the expansionvalve, the cooling device further including a signal line configured totransmit control signals to the neighboring refrigeration unit, thecontrol signals for controlling compressor activation. In someembodiments: the neighboring refrigeration unit includes a compressor, acoolant line, and an electrically controlled T-valve on the coolant linedownstream of the expansion valve; and the coolant input is coupled tothe neighboring refrigeration unit's expansion valve via theelectrically controlled T-valve; the cooling device further including: asignal line configured to transmit control signals to the neighboringrefrigeration unit, the control signals for controlling compressoractivation, and the electrically controlled T-valve.

In some embodiments, the cooling device further includes: a conductionplate coupled to the coolant input and to the coolant output, theconduction plate being a conductive heat exchanger connected in parallelwith the convective heat exchanger, the conduction plate being capableof facilitating rapid cooling of the item to be cooled by cooling theitem via conduction cooling. In some embodiments, the cooling devicefurther includes: a cradle within the enclosure, the cradle beingcapable of receiving the item to be cooled, the cradle also beingcapable of executing rocking motion about at least one axis, so as toenhance conductive cooling of a liquid within the item to be cooled. Insome embodiments, the cooling device further includes: a power sourcecapable of powering the rocking motion of the cradle.

In some embodiments, the item to be cooled is a vessel having liquidcontents, the cooling device further comprising: a turntable within theenclosure, the turntable being capable of receiving the vessel, theturntable also being capable of angular motion about a vertical axis, soas to engender relative motion between the liquid contents and an innersurface of the vessel.

Another general aspect of the invention is a cooling device for rapidlycooling an item is claimed, wherein the device includes: a thermallyinsulated enclosure, the enclosure having a thermally insulated door,the enclosure being sized so as to fit on a countertop, and being sizedso as to enclose at least one item to be rapidly cooled; a fan locatedwithin the thermally insulated enclosure; a convective heat exchanger,the convective heat exchanger being capable of receiving coolant from aneighboring refrigeration unit and being capable of cooling air to beblown by the fan toward the item to be cooled; a coolant input, thecoolant input being capable of delivering the coolant to the convectiveheat exchanger from the neighboring refrigeration unit; a coolantoutput, the coolant output being capable of returning the coolant to theneighboring refrigeration unit from the convective heat exchanger; asensor capable of sensing a temperature of the item to be cooled; acontrol input capable of receiving a value corresponding to at least oneof a desired temperature, and a desired cooling time, for the item to becooled; a fan control module capable of adjusting air flow from the fanto the item to be cooled based on the at least one of the desiredtemperature, and the desired cooling time, of the item to be cooled; acoolant flow module capable of adjusting coolant delivery to the coolingdevice based on the at least one of the desired temperature, and thedesired cooling time, of the item to be cooled; a controller capable ofexecuting instructions so as control at least one of the sensor, thecontrol input, the fan control module, and the coolant flow module; anda memory in communication with the controller, the memory being capableof storing instructions to be executed by the controller.

Another general aspect of the invention is a system for rapidly coolingan item, wherein the system includes: a refrigeration unit; a thermallyinsulated enclosure connected to the refrigeration unit, the enclosurehaving a thermally insulated door, the enclosure being sized so as tofit on a countertop, and being sized so as to enclose at least one itemto be rapidly cooled; a fan located within the thermally insulatedenclosure; a convective heat exchanger, the convective heat exchangerbeing capable of receiving coolant from a neighboring refrigeration unitand being capable of cooling air to be blown by the fan toward the itemto be cooled; a coolant input, the coolant input being capable ofdelivering expanded coolant from an expansion valve of the neighboringrefrigeration unit to the convective heat exchanger from the neighboringrefrigeration unit; at least one flow valve coupled to the coolant inputand configured to enable and disable flow of coolant from the expansionvalve of the neighboring refrigeration unit; and a coolant output, thecoolant output being capable of returning the coolant to the neighboringrefrigeration unit from the convective heat exchanger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the detaileddescription, in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a countertopcooler installed next to a conventional refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing afront panel that includes a display;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with thedoor open, showing features of the interior of the enclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing innerdetails of the cooler, its convective heat exchanger, control lines, andcoolant lines;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the convective heat exchanger of theembodiment of FIG. 4 illustrating air flow through the convective heatexchanger;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the coolerthat includes a conduction plate;

FIG. 5A is a cutaway view of the conduction plate of the embodiment ofFIG. 5, that shows a coil of tubing within the conduction plate;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the coolerwhich includes a cradle;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of a preferred embodiment ofthe countertop rapid cooler that includes a turntable;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the countertop rapid cooler andrefrigerator of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing how the control andcoolant lines of the countertop rapid cooler are connected to therefrigerator;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the countertoprapid cooler, showing the electrical connections between the differentcomponents of the countertop rapid cooler;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the countertoprapid cooler, showing steps in the operation of the countertop rapidcooler to rapidly chill an item to a desired temperature value enteredvia the front panel; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the countertoprapid cooler, showing steps in the operation of the countertop rapidcooler to rapidly chill an item for a desired chill time value enteredvia the front panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a countertopcooler 100 installed next to a conventional refrigerator 102. In thisdisclosure and the accompanying claims, the countertop rapid cooler isalso referred to as a cooling device, and is configured for rapidlycooling an item. As shown in FIG. 1, the countertop rapid cooler 100 iscoupled with the refrigerator 102 via coolant delivery and return lines104 and 106, respectively, and by a control signal cable 108. In thisdisclosure and the accompanying claims, the control signal cable 108 isalso referred to as a signal line.

Each of the refrigerator 102 and countertop rapid cooler 100 has its ownpower connection 110 and 112, respectively, to a wall outlet. Althoughthe countertop rapid cooler 100 is shown having a see-through door 114with a window 116, in some preferred embodiments the countertop rapidcooler can have a door without a window. The refrigerator also has adoor 103 that is configured to provide access to a cooling chamberwithin the refrigerator for placement and retrieval of items placed inthe cooling chamber. In some preferred embodiments the refrigerator 102and the cooling device 100 can constitute a system for rapidly coolingan item.

Coolant is received from an external store of coolant, such as aneighboring refrigerator or freezer. In some embodiments, the receivedcoolant can be drawn from an expansion valve of the neighboringrefrigerator or freezer. In some of these embodiments, the coolant flowfrom the expansion valve may be controlled by a coolant flow module orother feedback arrangement that can adjust, such as an electromechanicalflow valve for example. In some embodiments, the flow valve can be anelectrically controlled T-valve. If coolant is drawn from an expansionvalve of a neighboring unit, the hose carrying the coolant from theneighboring unit to the countertop rapid cooler can be insulated, so asto not allow heat transfer between the coolant and the ambient air.

In other embodiments, the coolant can be drawn from a neighboring unitat a point before the expansion valve of the neighboring unit. Thus, thecoolant would still be in an unexpanded state as it was transferred fromthe neighboring unit to the countertop rapid cooler. The unexpandedcoolant can then travel through a pressure hose to the countertop rapidcooler, where it is then expanded via an expansion valve. The expansionvalve would be located before the convective heat exchanger, andoptimally within the thermal enclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Thecountertop rapid cooler 100 has a front panel 202 that includes controlinput 203 and a display 204. The control input 203 includes a numericinput keypad 206 and a set of additional input keys for chill level 208,chill time 210, temperature 212, start 214, stop 216, and reset 218. Thecountertop rapid cooler 100 may also include a kitchen timer, whosefunctionality may be activated by a timer key 220, and a clock whosetime value may be set by a clock key 222.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showingthe countertop rapid cooler 100 with the door 114 open. An enclosure 304having an insulated door and insulated walls is adapted to receive anitem 306 to be cooled. The enclosure 304 is configured to receivecoolant from an expansion valve of a neighboring refrigeration unit. Ashelf 302 is positioned in the enclosure 304 to provide for bettercirculation of air around the item 306. The item 306 may be, forexample, a beverage container, that can be placed upright on the shelf302. The beverage container 306 may alternatively be placed on its sideon the shelf 302, since the rails spanning the shelf can prevent rollingof the container off the shelf.

A temperature sensor 308, for example, an infrared sensor, or IRthermometer, can be disposed in the ceiling of the enclosure 304, andcan detect a temperature of the item 306 to be chilled. IR thermometersare widely known, even for sensing temperatures of beer cans infreezers. For some items, the temperature can be sensed by a temperatureprobe (not shown) that can be put in contact with the exterior of theitem to be cooled, or inserted into the item to be cooled.

A light 310 at the upper rear of the enclosure 304 can be activated by adoor switch (902, see FIG. 9), and can provide interior illumination ofthe enclosure 304 when the door 114 is open.

At the upper right of the enclosure 304 is an inlet port 312 for chilledair, designed to direct the chilled air toward the item 306 to bechilled. The inlet port 312 is shaped for high speed air flow into theenclosure 304 so as to provide a substantial “wind-chill” effect. Twooutlet ports 314 a and 314 b at the bottom right of the enclosure 304allow return flow of air to a fan and convective heat exchanger (seeFIG. 4) for re-cooling of the air and further circulation of air intothe enclosure via the inlet port 312.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing innerdetails of the cooler 100, its convective heat exchanger 402, fan 404,the coolant lines 104 and 106, and the control signal cable 108. Forgreater visibility of the airflow within the countertop rapid cooler100, the door and front panel are not shown in this view. As shown, theconvective heat exchanger 402 can be in a compartment separate from thespace in which the item to be cooled is placed. In some of theseembodiments, such a separate compartment can be created by anon-insulated wall that still allows for passive cooling of the item tobe cooled, by the convective heat exchanger 402. In other embodiments,the convective heat exchanger 402 can be in the same space as that intowhich the item to be cooled is placed.

The coolant delivery line 104 is also referred to in this disclosure andin the accompanying claims as a coolant input, and is adapted to deliverchilled coolant to the convective heat exchanger from a neighboringrefrigeration unit. The coolant return line 106 is also referred to inthis disclosure and in the accompanying claims as a coolant output, andis adapted to return coolant from the convective heat exchanger to theneighboring refrigeration unit. The convective heat exchanger 402 isdiscussed below in connection with FIG. 4A.

The fan 404 is configured to blow air through the convective heatexchanger toward the item 306 (see FIG. 3) to rapidly cool the item. Thefan 404 can be, for example, a computer fan, for example, an ARCTIC F12PWM cooling fan from Arctic Cooling, which can deliver an air flow of 57ft³/min (CFM). It is understood that the fan 404 can be any suitabletype of fan, such as an axial fan, a centrifugal fan, or a cross flowfan.

The control signal cable 108 is shown as a single line, but it is to beunderstood that the control signal cable can be a multiconductor cable,and can carry multiple signals between the countertop rapid cooler 100(see FIG. 1) and the refrigerator 102. FIG. 4 also shows a power supply406 that provides power for the front panel 202 (see FIG. 2), the fan404, and the interior light 310 (see FIG. 3).

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the convective heat exchanger 402 ofthe embodiment of FIG. 4 illustrating air flow from the fan 404 andthrough the convective heat exchanger. The convective heat exchanger 402is adapted to receive coolant and configured to cool air to be blowntoward the item 306 (see FIG. 3). As shown, the convective heatexchanger 402 includes tubing arranged in a helix 407 and a set of vanesor fins, for example, fins 408 a, 408 b, and 408 c that are parallel tothe direction 410 of air flow through the convective heat exchanger.Coolant diverted from the refrigerator 102 (see FIG. 1) flows throughthe helix 407 and draws heat from the fins 408 a-408 c. The fins 408a-408 c promote exchange of heat between the convective heat exchanger402 and air flowing through the convective heat exchanger. In certainpreferred embodiments, the convective heat exchanger 402 can include 4,5, 6, or more fins.

The fan 404, absent its case 412 (see FIG. 4), is shown to providecontext for the lines 414 a-414 f illustrating the flow of air into andout of the convective heat exchanger 402. It is understood that anothertype of convective heat exchanger can be used, for example a plate finheat exchanger, in which the fins generally are aligned parallel to oneanother, and tubing that carries coolant loops back and forth throughthe parallel array of fins.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the countertoprapid cooler 100 that includes a conductive heat exchanger 502, which inthe embodiment shown is in the form of a conduction plate 502. Theconduction plate 502 can act as a conductive heat exchanger 502connected in parallel with the convective heat exchanger 402. Theconduction plate 502 is coupled to the coolant input 104 (see FIG. 1)and the coolant output 106. The conduction plate 502 is thus supplied506 with chilled coolant, for example through taps on the coolant lines104 and 106 connected to the convective heat exchanger 402 (see FIG. 4).An item 306 (see FIG. 3) can be placed on the conduction plate 502. Theconduction plate 502 is configured to augment or speed rapid cooling ofthe item 306 by cooling the item by conduction cooling, at the same timethe item is also being cooled by convection cooling.

In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 308 (see FIG. 3) is on a sidewall of the enclosure 304, and the inlet port 312 is in the center ofthe ceiling of the enclosure. As shown, the inlet port 312 can bedesigned to impart vortical motion 504 to the incoming airflow. This maybetter direct the flow of chilled air toward the item 306 to be chilled.

FIG. 5A is a cutaway view of the conduction plate 502 of the embodimentof FIG. 5, showing a coil of tubing 508 within the conduction plate.Coolant flows 510 in the coil of tubing 508 to draw away heat that theconduction plate 502 absorbs from an item 306 (see FIG. 3) placed on theconduction plate for chilling. It is understood that the conductionplate 502 and the coil of tubing 508 may be made of copper, aluminum,steel, or any suitable material. In this way, as mentioned above, theconduction plate 502 augments the chilling due to convection by thechilled air forced into the enclosure 304 via the inlet port 312.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the countertoprapid cooler 100 which includes a cradle 602 within the enclosure 304(see FIG. 3). The cradle 602 is configured to execute rocking motionabout at least one axis. In an exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 6,the cradle is configured to execute rocking motion about two axes,referred to herein as an x-axis 604 and a y-axis 606. In a preferredembodiment, the x-axis 604 and the y-axis 606 are orthogonal, butnon-orthogonal axes could be used without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure. The rocking motion of an item 306 placed in the cradle602 can increase cooling of liquid within the item to be chilled byenhancing conductive cooling of the liquid within the container 306.Power for the cradle 602 can be provided via a power connection to aplug or jack 610 in a wall of the enclosure 304. In some preferredembodiments, the cradle 602 includes a power source, such as, forexample, a coil spring to be wound or a replaceable battery, that isconfigured to provide motive power for the rocking motion. Somepreferred embodiments can include a raised edge or strap on the cradle602 to help stabilize the item 306 placed in the cradle.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the conduction plate502 (see FIG. 5) and the cradle 602 are included together, that is,while the cradle receives the item 306 for rocking motion, the cradle inaddition incorporates a conduction plate to further increase the coolingrate of the item.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of a preferred embodiment ofthe countertop rapid cooler 100 (see FIG. 1) that includes a turntable702. The turntable 702 is useful when the item 306 (see FIG. 3) to becooled is a vessel that has liquid contents. The turntable 702 isconfigured to undergo angular motion 704 so as to engender relativemotion between the vessel 306, and the walls of the vessel, thuspromoting cooling by transfer of heat from the liquid to the walls ofthe vessel. The turntable 702 undergoes angular motion 704 due to itscoupling to a motor 706 within the floor of the enclosure 304. Althoughthe turntable 702 is shown as circular, the turntable need not becircular but could instead be oval, square, or rectangular, since theturntable is configured to have only a limited range of back and forthangular motion. In some embodiments, the turntable can spin in aconstant direction, such as clockwise or counterclockwise. In otherembodiments, the turntable can oscillate, reversing its directionperiodically. In such embodiments where the turntable oscillates, as anexample, the motor 706 can be a DC motor coupled to a controller (904,see FIG. 9) of the countertop rapid cooler 100 so that the direction ofcurrent flow to the motor is reversed regularly, thus reversing thedirection of rotation of the motor. It is understood that other ways toaccomplish reciprocating motion 704 of the turntable 702 are within thescope of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation view of the countertop rapid cooler 100 andrefrigerator 102 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing how the coolantlines 104 and 106 and the control signal cable 108 of the countertoprapid cooler are connected to the refrigerator. As shown, therefrigerator 102 includes two flow valves 802, 804, which in thisembodiment are T-valves. The T-valves 802 and 804 operate under thecontrol of the countertop rapid cooler through the control circuitry 806of the refrigerator. One T-valve 802 downstream of the refrigerator'sexpansion valve 808 is coupled with the coolant delivery line 104 andcan divert 810 the flow 812 of chilled coolant from the refrigerator 102to the countertop rapid cooler 100. At the same time, a second T-valve804 coupled to the coolant return line 106 can enable return 814 ofcoolant from the countertop rapid cooler 100 to the refrigerator coolantcircuit, for compression and dissipation of heat to the ambientenvironment. In preferred embodiments, the T-valves 802 and 804 areelectrically controlled. The control signal cable 108 includes arefrigerator thermostat override signal line that is coupled with thecontrol circuitry 806 and maintains operation of the refrigerator'scompressor 816 while the countertop rapid cooler 100 is divertingcoolant from the refrigerator 102. The control signal cable 108 alsotransmits signals to the refrigerator control circuitry 806 to controloperation of the T-valves 802 and 804. In this way, the control signalcable 108 provides control signals for controlling compressor activationand for controlling the electrically controlled T-valves.

In certain preferred embodiments, the refrigerator 102 may include acoolant line tap (not shown) instead of the T-valve 802. The coolantline tap may be similar to taps used, for example, with propane lines,or similar to cold water line taps that can be used to provide a waterline connection for a domestic refrigerator icemaker. In theseembodiments, the coolant line tap couples the coolant input 104 to theexpansion valve 808.

The refrigerator 102 in addition includes a condenser 816, and at leastone cooling tube 818. The cooling tube 818, with other coolant lines inthe refrigerator 102, form a coolant circuit through which coolantcirculates from the compressor 814, to the condenser 816, the expansionvalve 808, and the cooling tube to a cooling chamber (not shown) withinthe refrigerator and accessible through a door 103 (see FIG. 1), thenback to the compressor. In various preferred embodiments therefrigerator 102 in addition includes one or more cooling lines as partof the coolant circuit, for example, a coolant line from the expansionvalve 808 to the T-valve 802. In the coolant circuit, the cooling tube818 follows the expansion valve 808 and is configured to receive heatfrom within the cooling chamber. The compressor 814 is coupled to thecooling tube 818 and is configured to compress coolant received from thecooling tube. The condenser 816 is configured to enable flow of heatfrom the compressed coolant into a space exterior to the refrigerator102. As is well known, the expansion valve 808 is coupled to thecondenser 816 and to at least one cooling tube 818, and is configured toconstrict flow of coolant into the cooling tube and reduce coolantpressure and temperature.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram 900 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of thecountertop rapid cooler 100, showing the electrical connections betweenthe different components of the countertop rapid cooler. Aside from theenclosure interior lamp 310 (see FIG. 3), which is under the control ofa door switch 902, the components are under the control of a controller904. In the embodiment shown, except for the T-valves 802 and 804 (seeFIG. 8) and the refrigerator thermostat override 906 of the refrigeratorcontrol circuitry 806, all located in the refrigerator 102, thecomponents coupled to the controller 904 are within the countertop rapidcooler 100. The cradle 602 (see FIG. 6) and turntable 702 (see FIG. 7)are shown in dashed outline since they belong to particular preferredembodiments, and are shown in the block diagram 900 to illustrate theirconnections to the controller 904.

FIG. 9 also shows a timer module 908 and a clock module 910 connected tothe controller 904. The timer module 908 can accept an input time valuereceived through use of the timer key 220 (see FIG. 2) and the numerickeypad 206, and can provide kitchen timer functionality, and/or canprovide timer functionality for the duration of cooling provided by thecountertop rapid cooler 100 (see FIG. 1). The clock module 910 canimplement time-of-day clock functionality. The time value setting of theclock module 910 can be input through use of the clock key 222 and thenumeric keypad 206.

Also shown in FIG. 9 are a memory 912, a coolant flow module 914, and afan control module 916, each coupled to the controller 904. The memoryis configured to store instructions for executions by the controller904. The coolant flow module is also coupled to the coolant input 104,and is configured to adjust coolant delivery to the cooling device. Thecoolant flow module 914 can adjust coolant delivery through a flow valvethat is coupled to the coolant input 104 and is configured to enable anddisable flow of coolant from the expansion valve 806 (see FIG. 8) of theneighboring refrigeration unit 102. In some preferred embodiments theflow valve can be, for example, a T-valve 802 and in some embodimentscan be controlled electrically. The coolant flow module 914 can adjustcoolant delivery based on a desired temperature for the item 306 (seeFIG. 3).

The fan control module 916 is coupled to the fan 404 (see FIG. 4) insome embodiments, and is configured to adjust air flow from the fan tothe item 306 (see FIG. 3) based on at least one of a desired temperatureand a desired cooling time of the item. In certain preferredembodiments, the coolant flow module 914 can also be configured toadjust air flow from the fan 404 to the item based on the desiredtemperature. Thus in some preferred embodiments the coolant flow module914 can carry out one or more functions of the fan control module 916.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart 1000 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of thecountertop rapid cooler 100, showing steps in the operation of thecountertop rapid cooler to rapidly chill an item 306 (see FIG. 3) to adesired temperature. In a step 1002, the countertop rapid cooler 100receives input of a desired temperature value entered via the frontpanel 202 (see FIG. 2), for example, by a user first pressing thetemperature input key 212, and then entering a numeric value via thekeypad 206. The numeric value may denote Fahrenheit or Celsius degrees,according to a user or manufacturer preference. For example, in certainpreferred embodiments, the user may toggle between entering thetemperature in Fahrenheit and entering the temperature in Celsius bysimultaneously pressing the temperature input key 212 and the start key214. The numeric value for the input temperature may be shown on thedisplay 204.

In a step 1004, the countertop rapid cooler 100 senses a temperature ofthe item 306 (see FIG. 3) to be cooled, via the temperature sensor 308.If the temperature of the item 306 is at or below freezing 1006, theprocess ends 1008. In some preferred embodiments an audible signal oralarm may be emitted by the countertop rapid cooler 100 when the processends 1008. Otherwise, if the temperature of the item 306 is within aparticular tolerance 1010 of the desired temperature, for example, 1°Fahrenheit or 1° Celsius, and if the item has been removed 1012, theprocess ends 1014. However, if the temperature of the item 306 is withina particular tolerance 1010 of the desired temperature and the item hasnot been removed 1012, the countertop rapid cooler 100 (see FIG. 1)again senses 1004 a temperature of the item 306. In some preferredembodiments the countertop rapid cooler may sound an audible signal toalert a user to the attainment of the desired temperature.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the item 306 (see FIG. 3) isnot within a particular tolerance 1010 of the desired temperature, thecountertop rapid cooler adjusts coolant delivery 1016 based on thesensed temperature of the item 306.

For example, the delivery of coolant may be slowed according to aparticular process or schedule of coolant delivery, as the sensedtemperature of the item approaches the desired temperature. In variousembodiments, for example, the coolant may be delivered according to adelivery rate that varies logarithmically with the difference betweenthe sensed temperature and the desired temperature. In various otherembodiments, the coolant delivery may continue at the same rate, forexample, until the item has attained the desired temperature within aparticular tolerance. The adjusting of coolant delivery 894 may be underthe control of, or according to instructions of, the coolant flow module914 (see FIG. 9). It is understood that various processes or schedulesfor relating coolant delivery to a sensed temperature may be included asknown in the art. Moreover, air flow to the item 306 (see FIG. 3) fromthe fan 404 (see FIG. 4) can be adjusted through the coolant flow module914 or through a separate fan control module 916.

Returning to FIG. 10, the countertop rapid cooler 100 in additionadjusts air flow 1018 based on the sensed temperature of the item 306,and again senses 1004 a temperature of the item. In this manner, thecountertop rapid cooler 100 regularly senses a temperature associatedwith the item to be chilled, and maintains coolant delivery and airflow, through the coolant flow module 914 and the fan control module 916(see FIG. 9), until the sensed temperature is within a particulartolerance of the desired temperature. In addition the test 1006 forwhether the sensed temperature is at or below freezing provides a safetyfactor against bursting of containers within the countertop rapid cooler100.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart 1100 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of thecountertop rapid cooler 100, showing steps in the operation of thecountertop rapid cooler to rapidly chill an item 306 (see FIG. 3) for adesired chill time value entered via the front panel. In a step 1102,the countertop rapid cooler 100 receives input of a desired chill timevalue entered via the front panel 202 (see FIG. 2), for example, by auser first pressing the chill time key 210 and then entering a numericvalue via the numeric keypad 206. The numeric value typically denotesseconds or minutes and seconds, and may be shown on the display 204.

In a step 1104, the countertop rapid cooler 100 (see FIG. 1) checks thecurrent duration of the chill time received in the step 1102. If thechill time has expired 1106, the process ends 1108. In some preferredembodiments an audible signal may be given by the countertop rapidcooler 100 when the process ends 1108. However, if the chill time hasnot expired, the countertop rapid cooler 100 senses a temperature of theitem to be cooled 1110. If the temperature of the item is at or belowfreezing 1112, the process ends 1114. In certain preferred embodimentsthe countertop rapid cooler may provide an audible signal or alarm toalert the user when the process ends 1114. The test 1112 for whether thesensed temperature is at or below freezing provides a safety factoragainst bursting of containers within the countertop rapid cooler 100.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the item 306 (see FIG. 3) isnot at or below freezing 1112, the countertop rapid cooler 100 maintains1116 coolant delivery and air flow to the item, and again checks 1104the duration of the chill time. In this manner, the countertop rapidcooler maintains coolant delivery and air flow until the chill timeexpires, while providing safety against freezing.

As discussed above, the invention is a cooling device for rapidlycooling an item, using convection cooling. The convection cooling isprovided via a fan included in the cooling device, the fan configured toblow chilled air toward an item to rapidly cool the item. In preferredembodiments of the invention, the cooling device does not contain amechanical compressor and condenser. Instead, the cooling deviceincludes a coolant input to deliver chilled coolant to the coolingdevice. The coolant input receives chilled coolant from a neighboringrefrigeration unit, for example, a refrigerator or a freezer. Thus, thecooling device can use less space than current rapid cooling deviceswith comparable capacity, such as rapid cooling refrigerators. Due toits reduced size, the cooling device may be less costly to manufacture,and may consume less energy to provide the same amount of rapid coolingcapacity as currently available rapid cooling devices. In this way, arapid cooling device is provided that can be more economical for home,recreational, small business, and even industrial users.

Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the inventionas claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limitthe invention except as indicated in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooling device for rapid cooling of items, thecooling device comprising: a thermally insulated enclosure, theenclosure having a thermally insulated door, the enclosure being sizedso as to fit on a countertop, and being sized so as to enclose at leastone item to be rapidly cooled; a fan located within the thermallyinsulated enclosure; a convective heat exchanger, the convective heatexchanger being capable of receiving coolant from a neighboringrefrigeration unit and being capable of cooling air to be blown by thefan toward the item to be cooled; a coolant input, the coolant inputbeing capable of delivering the coolant to the convective heat exchangerfrom the neighboring refrigeration unit; and a coolant output, thecoolant output being capable of returning the coolant to the neighboringrefrigeration unit from the convective heat exchanger.
 2. The coolingdevice of claim 1, wherein an inside space of the thermally insulatedenclosure is of a volume that falls within a range of volumes of insidespaces of typical microwave ovens.
 3. The cooling device of claim 1,wherein the coolant input is adapted to receive expanded coolant from anexpansion valve of the neighboring refrigeration unit.
 4. The coolingdevice of claim 3, further comprising: at least one flow valve coupledto the coolant input and configured to enable and disable flow ofcoolant from the expansion valve of the neighboring refrigeration unit.5. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the coolant input is adaptedto receive compressed coolant from a neighboring refrigeration unit, andwherein the coolant input includes an expansion valve for expanding thecoolant, the expansion valve being located: within the thermallyinsulated enclosure; and prior to the convective heat exchanger.
 6. Thecooling device of claim 1, wherein the convective heat exchanger is atube-and-fin system.
 7. The cooling device of claim 1, furthercomprising: a sensor capable of sensing a temperature of the item to becooled; and a coolant flow module capable of adjusting coolant deliveryto the cooling device based on the temperature sensed by the sensor. 8.The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising: a control inputcapable of receiving a value corresponding to at least one of: a desiredtemperature; and a desired cooling time for the item to be cooled; and acoolant flow module capable of adjusting coolant delivery to the coolingdevice based on the at least one of: the desired temperature; and thedesired cooling time of the item to be cooled.
 9. The cooling device ofclaim 1, further comprising: a sensor capable of sensing a temperatureof the item to be cooled; and a fan control module capable of adjustingair flow from the fan to the item to be cooled based on the temperatureof the item sensed by the sensor.
 10. The cooling device of claim 1,further comprising: a control input capable of receiving a valuecorresponding to at least one of: a desired temperature; and a desiredcooling time for the item to be cooled; and a fan control module capableof adjusting air flow from the fan to the item to be cooled based on theat least one of: the desired temperature; and the desired cooling timeof the item to be cooled.
 11. The cooling device of claim 3, wherein:the neighboring refrigeration unit includes a compressor and a coolantline; and the coolant input is coupled to the expansion valve via acoolant line tap downstream of the expansion valve, the cooling devicefurther including: a signal line configured to transmit control signalsto the neighboring refrigeration unit, the control signals forcontrolling compressor activation.
 12. The cooling device of claim 1,wherein: the neighboring refrigeration unit includes a compressor, acoolant line, and an electrically controlled T-valve on the coolant linedownstream of the expansion valve; and the coolant input is coupled tothe neighboring refrigeration unit's expansion valve via theelectrically controlled T-valve; the cooling device further comprising:a signal line configured to transmit control signals to the neighboringrefrigeration unit, the control signals for controlling: compressoractivation; and the electrically controlled T-valve.
 13. The coolingdevice of claim 1, further comprising: a conduction plate coupled to thecoolant input and to the coolant output, the conduction plate being aconductive heat exchanger connected in parallel with the convective heatexchanger, the conduction plate being capable of facilitating rapidcooling of the item to be cooled by cooling the item via conductioncooling.
 14. The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising: a cradlewithin the enclosure, the cradle being capable of receiving the item tobe cooled, the cradle also being capable of executing rocking motionabout at least one axis, so as to enhance conductive cooling of a liquidwithin the item to be cooled.
 15. The cooling device of claim 14,further comprising a power source capable of powering the rocking motionof the cradle.
 16. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the item to becooled is a vessel having liquid contents, the cooling device furthercomprising: a turntable within the enclosure, the turntable beingcapable of receiving the vessel, the turntable also being capable ofangular motion about a vertical axis, so as to cause relative motionbetween the liquid contents and an inner surface of the vessel.
 17. Acooling device for rapidly cooling an item, the device comprising: athermally insulated enclosure, the enclosure having a thermallyinsulated door, the enclosure being sized so as to fit on a countertop,and being sized so as to enclose at least one item to be rapidly cooled;a fan located within the thermally insulated enclosure; a convectiveheat exchanger, the convective heat exchanger being capable of receivingcoolant from a neighboring refrigeration unit and being capable ofcooling air to be blown by the fan toward the item to be cooled; acoolant input, the coolant input being capable of delivering the coolantto the convective heat exchanger from the neighboring refrigerationunit; a coolant output, the coolant output being capable of returningthe coolant to the neighboring refrigeration unit from the convectiveheat exchanger; a sensor capable of sensing a temperature of the item tobe cooled; a control input capable of receiving a value corresponding toat least one of: a desired temperature; and a desired cooling time forthe item to be cooled; a fan control module capable of adjusting airflow from the fan to the item to be cooled based on the at least one of:the desired temperature; and the desired cooling time of the item to becooled; a coolant flow module capable of adjusting coolant delivery tothe cooling device based on the at least one of: the desiredtemperature; and the desired cooling time of the item to be cooled; acontroller capable of executing instructions so as control at least oneof: the sensor; the control input; the fan control module; and thecoolant flow module; and a memory in communication with the controller,the memory being capable of storing instructions to be executed by thecontroller.
 18. A system for rapidly cooling an item, the systemcomprising: a refrigeration unit; a thermally insulated enclosureconnected to the refrigeration unit, the enclosure having a thermallyinsulated door, the enclosure being sized so as to fit on a countertop,and being sized so as to enclose at least one item to be rapidly cooled;a fan located within the thermally insulated enclosure; a convectiveheat exchanger, the convective heat exchanger being capable of receivingcoolant from a neighboring refrigeration unit and being capable ofcooling air to be blown by the fan toward the item to be cooled; acoolant input, the coolant input being capable of delivering expandedcoolant from an expansion valve of the neighboring refrigeration unit tothe convective heat exchanger from the neighboring refrigeration unit;at least one flow valve coupled to the coolant input and configured toenable and disable flow of coolant from the expansion valve of theneighboring refrigeration unit; and a coolant output, the coolant outputbeing capable of returning the coolant to the neighboring refrigerationunit from the convective heat exchanger.